Warbonnet RidgeRunner

[miassis dragon]

Just ordered a RidgeRunner bridge hammock and I'm jumpin with excitement to get it. The last overnighter that I did, I slept on the ground in my brand new ZPacks Hexamid Twin, and as expected I did not sleep good on the ground. It affected the quality of my hike. I didn't have as much energy the next day hiking so I knew that a change was needed. In one sense it's sad because the Hexamid is light as a feather to carry when backpacking, but I may have to part ways with it if the RR sleeps as well as I anticipate. By going with the WBRR hammock I'm adding weight to my pack so I'm looking at all of my other pack items for weight reduction. My target base weight minus consumables is 15 to 16 pounds max. Any recommendations or ideas would be appreciated.

[Tuckahoe]

Warbonnet has adapters that allows the use of some trekking poles to be used as in place of the stock spreader bars, which would save you almost 10 ounces.

Of course if you are inclined, there are the cuben fiber tarps, rather than silnylon.

[Kerosene]

I rarely sleep well the first 3-4 nights on the trail, likely due to a combination of full-day workouts, sleeping in a different environment, sleeping on the ground, mild dehydration, noises in the night, etc. Interestingly, I've never felt as if the lack of sleep really bothered me the next day. I recently went to a zPacks Hexamid Twin for my cool-weather hikes, and it worked great on a few cold, windy (but dry) nights in Maine last Fall; can't beat the weight at 14.7 ounces in total (Cuben with floor, no net, Peaked, guylines and stakes). However, my best ever sleep was in a Hennessey Backpacker UL hammock with a thin pad underneath in warm weather -- that was the first time I've ever fallen asleep on my back, not moving until morning. The weight penalty, with an underquilt, is more than my knees are willing to put up with however.

[miassis dragon]

Warbonnet has adapters that allows the use of some trekking poles to be used as in place of the stock spreader bars, which would save you almost 10 ounces.

Of course if you are inclined, there are the cuben fiber tarps, rather than silnylon.

I have two sets of LEKI poles but neither have the camera mount option on the handle and I don't want to dismantle the handle on the trail to make an accommodation. But using hiking poles as spreader bars is definitely an option to keep in mind if a quick adaptor solution comes along. I will look into cuben fiber tarps.

[miassis dragon]

I rarely sleep well the first 3-4 nights on the trail, likely due to a combination of full-day workouts, sleeping in a different environment, sleeping on the ground, mild dehydration, noises in the night, etc. Interestingly, I've never felt as if the lack of sleep really bothered me the next day. I recently went to a zPacks Hexamid Twin for my cool-weather hikes, and it worked great on a few cold, windy (but dry) nights in Maine last Fall; can't beat the weight at 14.7 ounces in total (Cuben with floor, no net, Peaked, guylines and stakes). However, my best ever sleep was in a Hennessey Backpacker UL hammock with a thin pad underneath in warm weather -- that was the first time I've ever fallen asleep on my back, not moving until morning. The weight penalty, with an underquilt, is more than my knees are willing to put up with however.

I hear ya Kerosene. Backpack weight is paramount and should be rule #1. However, If I'm not feeling well because I didn't get much sleep the night before it does affect the quality of my hike that day. I always take naproxen before the days hike begins for hiking pain that I will get anyway. If I'm well rested from the night before and my energy level is good when I'm hiking it affects my overall hike experience . I'm happier and can enjoy what the hike has to offer. A good hammock set up is most definitely a luxury item when compared to an UL tent and I'm willing to accept that as long as I can shave weight in other areas of my backpack.